Skool Review 2025: Is It Worth $99/Month?

Skool is everywhere right now. Alex Hormozi promotes it. Every business coach runs a community there. And the 40% affiliate commission means nearly every "honest review" online has a referral link attached.

So let me cut through the noise: Skool is a solid community platform with basic course features. It's simple to use, genuinely engaging for members, and works well for a specific type of creator. But it's also missing features you'd expect at $99/month, has concerning Trustpilot reviews, and isn't the right choice for everyone.

Here's what you actually need to know before signing up.

What Is Skool?

Skool is a community-first platform that combines a Facebook Groups-style feed with basic course hosting. Founded in 2019 by Sam Ovens (of Consulting.com), it gained significant traction after Alex Hormozi became a co-owner in 2024.

The core idea: keep everything simple. One membership price, one community feed, one course area. No complex funnels, no overwhelming feature lists.

Skool Pricing

Here's the thing about Skool pricing — it's refreshingly simple, but also inflexible.

Current pricing: $99/month per community

That's it. One plan, one price. If you want to run multiple communities, you pay $99 for each one.

Transaction fees:

• 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (Stripe's standard fee)
• Additional fees may apply depending on your country

What's included:

• Unlimited members
• Community feed with posts, polls, and comments
• Course hosting (modules, lessons, videos)
• Calendar and events
• Gamification (points and leaderboards)
• Basic analytics
• Mobile apps (iOS and Android)

What's NOT included:

• Custom domains
• White-label branding
• Email marketing
• Sales pages or funnels
• Quizzes or assessments
• Certificates
• Direct API access
• PayPal payments (Stripe only)

The $99/month puts Skool in an interesting position. It's more expensive than free alternatives like Discord or Facebook Groups, but cheaper than all-in-one platforms like Kajabi ($149-$399/month).

Previously, Skool had a $9/month "Hobby" tier with a 10% transaction fee. They removed it, so the entry point is now $99/month regardless of your community size.

Skool Features: What You Actually Get

Community Feed

This is Skool's strongest feature. The feed feels like Facebook Groups, but cleaner and more focused on your content.

Members can post, comment, and react. You can pin important posts, create categories, and use @mentions. The algorithm prioritizes recent activity, which keeps conversations visible.

Courses

Skool's course feature is basic — and that's intentional. You get:

1. Modules and lessons
2. Video hosting (up to 30GB with auto-generated captions)
3. Text content
4. File attachments

What you don't get: quizzes, completion certificates, progress tracking beyond simple checkboxes, drip content, or conditional logic.

If you're selling a simple course alongside your community, this works. If courses are your main product, you'll hit limitations fast.

Gamification

Points and leaderboards. Members earn points for engagement (posting, commenting, completing courses), and a leaderboard shows top contributors.

This drives engagement — sometimes too much. Some communities report members gaming the system with low-quality posts just to climb the leaderboard.

Calendar and Events

Built-in event scheduling with integration to members' calendars. Good for live calls, Q&As, and community events.

Mobile Apps

iOS and Android apps are available. They're functional but not white-labeled — your community will always be inside the "Skool" app, not your own branded app.

What Real Users Say

Here's where things get complicated. Most Skool reviews online are affiliate content. The 40% recurring commission creates obvious bias.

Let me share what I found from third-party review sites and user discussions:

Trustpilot: 2.2/5 stars (22 reviews)

This is concerning. Common complaints:

1. Difficulty canceling subscriptions
2. Poor customer support response
3. Concerns about scammers using the platform

Google Play Store: 3.9/5 (4,120+ reviews)

Better, but still mixed:

1. Positive: Easy to use, good for accessing communities
2. Negative: Video playback issues, notification problems

Notable absence

Skool isn't listed on G2 or Capterra — the main B2B software review sites. Competitors like Circle and Mighty Networks have hundreds of verified reviews there.

Real success stories

Despite the mixed reviews, some creators are doing well:

1. Top earner reportedly makes ~$300,000/month with 2,800 members
2. Dan Henry claims ~$116,000/month from his Skool community
3. Multiple case studies show $6,000-70,000 monthly recurring revenue

An honest failure story

Romney Nelson shared a candid review: after building a community with 30 members, he paused it. His conclusion: "Skool works, but it requires consistent attention. If you can't show up regularly, your community dies."

This sounds boring, but it's the reality. A tool is only as good as your commitment to using it.

Skool Pros and Cons

What Skool Does Well

Simplicity — You can set up a community and start inviting members within an hour. No complex configuration, no overwhelming options.

Engagement mechanics — The gamification and feed algorithm genuinely drive activity. Members stay engaged longer than on most platforms.

All-in-one community + courses — For creators who want both without managing multiple tools, Skool delivers.

Weekly payouts — Unlike platforms that hold your money for 30+ days, Skool pays weekly via Stripe Express.

What Skool Gets Wrong

Limited course features — No quizzes, certificates, completion tracking, or drip content. If courses are your main product, look elsewhere.

No customization — You can add your logo and change colors. That's it. No custom domains, no white-labeling, no CSS modifications.

$99 minimum entry — The removed Hobby tier means you're paying $99/month whether you have 5 members or 5,000.

Stripe only — No PayPal. For international creators, this limits payment options for your members.

No direct integrations — Zapier (on Pro plan only) is your only option. No direct API, no native integrations with email tools or other platforms.

Quality control concerns — The platform has attracted some get-rich-quick schemes and questionable communities. This affects the overall perception.

Who Should Use Skool?

Skool is worth considering if you:

1. Want a simple community + basic course combo
2. Have an existing audience ready to join
3. Value engagement over advanced features
4. Prefer simplicity over customization
5. Can commit to showing up regularly

Skool is NOT for you if you:

1. Need advanced course features (quizzes, certificates, drip content)
2. Want your own branded experience
3. Require sophisticated marketing automation
4. Need integrations with your existing tech stack
5. Are just starting and don't have an audience yet

Skool vs. Alternatives

Quick comparison:

• vs Circle: Circle offers more customization and branding. Skool has better gamification.
• vs Mighty Networks: Similar pricing, but Mighty offers white-label mobile apps.
• vs Kajabi: Kajabi is a full marketing platform with advanced courses. Skool is simpler and cheaper.
• vs Discord: Discord is free with real-time chat. Skool is paid with structured content.

Skool Affiliate Program

Let me be transparent about why so many "reviews" are positive.

Skool offers 40% lifetime recurring commission.

That means if someone signs up through your link and stays for years, you earn 40% of their $99/month — forever. With a $100 minimum payout and 14-day cookie window.

This creates a massive incentive to recommend Skool regardless of whether it's the right fit. When you read reviews, check if they include affiliate links.

My Honest Assessment

I haven't used Skool personally to run a community, so I won't pretend to have firsthand experience. This review is based on extensive research, user testimonials, and comparing Skool against alternatives I'm familiar with.

Here's the thing: Skool is neither as amazing as affiliates claim nor as problematic as the Trustpilot reviews suggest.

It's a functional community platform with genuinely good engagement features, wrapped in intentional simplicity. For creators who want community + basic courses without complexity, it delivers.

But the hype around Skool — driven largely by the Alex Hormozi association and aggressive affiliate marketing — has inflated expectations beyond what the platform actually offers.

Bottom line:

Worth trying if you fit the target profile. Not worth the hype for everyone else.

That's all! If you're evaluating community platforms, I'd also recommend checking my guides on Patreon and other membership options in the Memberships section.